


The Band

by 8cheshirekat



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-27
Updated: 2014-03-27
Packaged: 2018-01-17 05:02:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1374787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/8cheshirekat/pseuds/8cheshirekat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coming to a new school, new girl Toph has a lot to learn about her new school.</p>
<p>It becomes complicated when she finds that she has a crush on a boy. One that she never expected to fall for....</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Girl

She huffed and readied herself. This was going to be her first, ever, time sneaking to school.

Her soft, jade green eyes, looked up, at the tall gates. Her black hair swirled about her knees as she walked into the academy. She belonged to the Earth Kingdom, so, her uniform was green. It was also fitted for earthbending.

There was a skirt that was short, but there was a pair of pants that were to be worn underneath. The blazer had edges and had a slight length to them on the back. The tie was also edged. The socks came only to mid calf and had the Earth Kingdom's symbol. Her shoes were expensive, brown leather. Her bag had a little fire and green crystal.

She sighed and put her hand on the door as she walked in. 

The sudden bustle of noise startled her. She quickly put on her headphones. They were dark green with gold accents. They made her feel better. 

She walked right by him and his gold eyes watched her.

He wasn't wearing his blazer and his white dress shirt's sleeves were rolled up. His tie had a sharp point to it. His slacks had red and orange threaded stitches. The shoes were highly polished black leather. He slipped his blazer on. It was bright red and had three sharp tails that reached halfway down his thighs. The middle and longest was an inch longer. It was mostly red but had orange cuff links with the Fire Nation symbol. 

He quickly caught up to the new girl. He gently tapped her shoulder.

When their eyes met, both of them seemed to skip a second. She had never seen someone so handsome and he had never seen such a pale beauty like her. 

Katara made an evil smirk before she held her hand out. "Welcome to Aura Academy. This is Zuko and I'm Katara. We'll get you started."

She bowed lightly. "My name is Toph, its a pleasure." She gave a kind smile, tipping her head to the side, her hands clasped together in front of her skirt.

Katara took note that Zuko's face tinted a bit before she took the girl by the hand. "Let's go."


	2. The Elite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toph discovers that she may fit in much better than she originally thought.

Toph was amazed by the extent of the school. It was huge compared to her last school and had such a diverse groups.

"So, this is the Work Hall. This is where you can get small study jobs or, if you're an Elite, you can take on outside jobs. This is also where most students from the Earth Kingdom come to hang out between meals and class because this whole place is made of solid stone."

When she said that, Toph just slid her foot and felt the solid, dense stone. It was comfortable. She took notice then.

Katara's uniform was a very blue shade. It had a long skirt, down to her ankles, that wasn't pleated, like the other girl uniforms from the other sections. Her shoes were dark blue, almost black. Her blazer had tapered sleeves that had the Water Tribe symbol on it. The back came down in a very low scoop to her knees. The thin rope around her neck was also blue and was tied into a loose bow. Her shirt had a rounded collar where everyone else's uniform had sharp edges.

"Oh, that's right." Katara smiled and gestured to the uniforms. "Only time you don't wear uniforms is when class hasn't started or you're on a job, big or small."

Toph nodded. "But what's with the silver stars on your guy's shoulders?"

Zuko automatically covered his. "They're to define the Elite. If gou prove that you're a proficient bender, you recieve a gold star and are allowed to help with sparring study jobs. If you show that you have amazing talent and are capable of great feats, you get a bronze star and are allowed to help if this school should come under attack. The silver stars are for the front lines and the most powerful benders."

Toph nodded and looked at his hand on his left arm as it slowly fell away from the shiny metal star on the outside of his arm. She was determined to keep her bending capabilities under wraps so she wouldn't have to move again.

Two boys and a girl came up to the trio from the Work Hall's crowd.

The girl was wearing all black. Her socks were just above her ankles with small yellow fans printed on them. Her shoes were leather and highly polished. Her skirt was knee-length and was pleated with some dark gray design playing peekaboo from under each pleat. Her shirt was high white with elongated points on her collar. The blazer was only waist length and was one straight edge all the way around. Her hair was cropped to shoulder length and was a soft brown. Her eyes were kind.

The taller boy was the same shade as Katara in hair and skin and the same blue eyes. He wore all black, too. His slacks had dark maroon stitching while his blazer had VERY pale, blue stitching that almost looked white. His shoes were also highly polished. On the cuffs were silver cuff links and he also had the white outline of a broad sword pointed towards his hands. His tie was loose about his neck and he also had elongated points on his shirt.

The last was the same height as Toph. He had black hair, pale skin, and stark gray eyes. His uniform was mostly orange with yellow accents. The blazer and slacks were orange with yellow stitching. The blazer had tapered sleeves with the Air Nomad's symbol on the cuff. The shirt was a pale yellow and had curved points on the collar. The tie was diagonally stripped with alternating orange and yellow stripes.

Toph took notice that all of them had silver stars.

Katara smiled. "Meet Suki Xing, Aang Zuan, and my brother, Sokka."

Toph greeted them quietly and kindly.

Aang smiled. "Welcome. I'm sure you'll fit in."

Toph nodded and kept her eyes averted. She knew they'd think she was permanently blind if they saw how pale her eyes were.

"Toph?"

Everyone turned.

Pakku crossed his arms as he and Piandao came to stand nearby. All the teachers wore pale cloths. Piandao wore a light shade of gray and Pakku wore a light shade of blue.

She knew them. They had determined that she'd passed her entry exams. She quickly bowed in courtesy to them.

"How has the tour been going?" Piandao asked in his kind and generous tale voice.

Toph gave them a genuine smile. "They're so friendly. I've never felt so welcome. Thank you."

Pakku nodded and she was dismissed to try to make friends with her welcoming committee. "She seems to still be afraid. But let's hope those kids can show her skill triumphs power all the time."

Piandao nodded. "I just hope Roku and Iroh were right when they put her under Kyoshi's care. That woman can be dangerous."

Pakku crossed his arms and turned around. Before he took a step away, he sighed. "Just remember that that small child utter leveled the exam town in less time it took Kyoshi when she was trying hard."


	3. Gym

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toph meets Azula and proves she's not afraid.

Toph was shown into the locker room with Katara and Suki. She felt out of place with her long hair and her pale skin, but it was soon clear that this was a class of students who were all different and weren't all the same.

Still, she felt out of place.

"So, this will be your gym locker." Katara gestured to the locker and all it's mesh sides with a single lock and a key dangling from the lock. "Everyone gets their own. This used to belong to a girl who transferred out, but she wasn't exactly liked, so, nobody would miss her."

Toph slowly turned the key and put her bag into the locker. There was a uniform inside. It was a plain white shirt and black shorts. It was the same one that all the other girls were wearing. There were no shoes, but Toph was okay with using her fancy shoes if it came down to it.

"Oh! That reminds me." Katara smiled at Toph. "You get nice shoes." She pointed.  
There was a whole wall of square lockers with numbers on them as well as locks.  
"Each locker has a corresponding pair of shoes. They're the whole reason the school asks for all your sizes."

Toph nodded and quickly changed. She sat down and slowly took her shoes off, trying very hard not to put her foot down hard. She didn't want to see everything, she just wanted to be able to walk and that was all. When she went to her locker number, she was glad to see that the headmaster had taken the liberty of putting in the shock absorbers into her sneakers so she wouldn't feel the whole world when she was doing anything like running.

After she strapped them on, she quietly put the lock back.

And then someone elbowed her.

"Move it, you peasant!"

Toph, suddenly feeling like herself, turned and crossed her arms. "Make me."

There was an awed silence. Katara gasped and she and Suki came rushing over.  
"Oh? You must be new around her."

Katara and Suki quickly grabbed Toph. "Don't pick a fight with her!" they hissed.

Toph shook them off. She walked right up to this tall, slender, gorgeous girl and slapped her. "Don't you dare elbow me again! I swear to the heavens and earth that I will put you down in an instant!"

There was scattered whispers of shock and fear.

The girl quickly collected herself and smiled at Toph. "Do you even know who I am?"

"Do YOU know who I am?!" Toph said. The earth began to rumble as Toph's temper began to rise.

"I am Princess Azula Hon of the Fire Nation, you peasant!"

Toph made a face. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that the princess needed a fat person's space to breath!" She threw her hands up when she said that. "I don't care who you think you are, don't push me, don't touch me, and don't talk to me!"

Azula gasped and then smacked Toph.

Without thinking, Toph lunged at her. She speared her in the stomach and her little fire crown went clattering across the floor. Toph brought her hand back and slammed it, hard, into Azula's stomach, causing her to lose her breath. Toph clenched a fist and cuffs of dirt held Azula's wrists and ankles down.

"Touch me again and I'll hurt you worse." She stood up. "You want to know who I am? Just call me Toph and don't ask. If you demand it of me again, I swear that you'll lose that pretty face."

Toph walked away, pushing away Katara's and Suki's attempts to stop her. Her anger was causing her to see everything since she'd used her Earthbending. She could feel everyone's fear of her, but joy at seeing Azula be taken down a peg. She could hear their heavy breathing and every word they were saying. She could feel Azula's lungs refilling with air finally, after her muscles stopped seizing up on her.

She had gone overboard and it was only her first day....

Gym was going to be an uphill battle for sure.


	4. Rules

There was a certain silence that Kyoshi couldn't ignore as the girls seemed to stay away from Toph. But she had a feeling it had something to do with the red mark on her and Azula's faces.

She decided not to ask. 

"Today we will be practicing working in teams of six on six. I will determine the captain. For the record, the rules are simple. The captain must remain unharmed. Everyone in the team must be partnered up into two. There will be an anchor and an arm. Each team will be scored on points. Team up."

Toph looked away as the girls started partnering up with some boys. She was left out and she was used to that.

Katara and Suki walked up and smiled at her.

"We would be honored if you would be part of our team. We have most of the bodies we need. We're just missing one."

Toph sighed and slowly looked up at them. "Fine. But I'm not used to playing nice with others."

"Never said you had to. Zuko can get pretty dangerous. Its why he usually doesn't have a partner." Suki smiled. "After you put the beat down on Azula like that, we figured that you would probably fare longer than the other girls."

Toph made a face and then sighed, closing her eyes. She pressed one hand against her face while the other held her waist. "I'll do it. But I need to talk to him first."

Zuko stood firm as Sokka and Aang went to Suki and Katara. He was still clutching the anklet that she was either going to make him wear or wear herself. He was ready for anything she was about to throw at him.

"How does this work? What's an arm and an anchor?" She seemed very keen on figuring out exactly how to play fair.

"Oh, um...." Zuko gave her a gentle smile. "The anchor is the person who wears this and pulls the arm out of danger or protects them from danger. The arm attacks to protect the anchor and is always on the offensive. The object is to pin the enemy's anchor."

Toph snatched the anklet away. "Let me be the anchor. I know of a great way to protect you so you can have free reign." She followed Sokka and Katara's lead and snapped it on her left ankle. A green light lit up on all three.

"Huh. We're the green team. Means we challenge my sister. She's the reigning team leader. Aang has been trying to knock her down a peg. Oh. Did you want to do the one-hit spar off?"

When she gave him a confused look, he quickly answered.

"Both sides chose a competitor from the enemy team. You have to score 2-0 or 3-1 and your team can make the first move or suffer being defenseless until the three arms make their moves. Its kind of how we see who's best."

Toph made a face. "So, in other words, beat them or be beaten?"

Zuko sighed and nodded. "I'll do it. I'm not about to force you into something you don't want to do."

"Azula has chosen the new girl, Toph. Who do you chose, Aang?"

He was about to ask when he remembered what Katara had said about Toph and Azula. He glanced at the team and nodded. "Azula."

Toph blinked and then made an evil grin crease her face. "Time to show you true Eathbending style. Now I can fight you on fair ground."

Azula glared at Toph. "This won't be that easy. I'm not a sappy push over."

Toph punched her right hand into her left palm and cracked her knuckles. "If this was easy, I wouldn't be so worked up!"

Azula made a face. "Bring it on."


	5. Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toph proves she's tough and Azula gets whats coming.

Toph and Azula came to the center of the field. Facing each other, they were ready to fight, tooth and nail, to find out who was better.

"Now, the rules are simple. Use any tactics to land a hit on your opponent." Kyoshi glanced at Toph. "Remember, no blood is allowed. Advanced techniques are allowed. No blows to the head or groin. All points are based upon solid hits." She raised her hand. "Ready?! Begin!"

Zuko tried to remain calm as he watched Toph just stand there.

Azula brought her hands up as she jumped back. There was a certain air about her that made it seem as though she was completely sure of her power. She went to strike at Toph, blue flames erupting around her fist.

Toph hopped and angled her toes. With a quick, loud, crack, she pierced the stone under her feet and completely vanished into the ground. There was a silence as Azula tried to guess where she was going to come up. Toph jumped out behind Azula and landed a solid hit to her back with an open hand. She quickly jumped back.

"Toph has earned a point." Again, she raised her hand. "Ready? Begin!"

Toph jumped back as flames erupted at her feet. She slid a few feet back and lunged at Azula. She was going to have to try something different. Same tricks won't work twice.

Azula brought her hand down and just missed Toph's face with a fire ball. Twisting, her foot came up and fire shot out.

Toph, being smart, hit the deck, using the stones to yank her down hard. She hit the ground and sent a small tremor. Digging her hands in like claws, Toph pulled her feet up and over her body. Slamming her feet down, she created a huge wall of stone as Azula unleashed a huge, unmatched blast of flames. Toph held her breath and waited for Azula to stop or for a hesitation in her onslaught of fire.

Kyoshi was about to call it when Toph felt it.

Azula let up for just a moment to breath in. She was going to spit fire like her uncle used to.

Toph raised her feet and brought them down, bringing down the wall as she pulled herself upright from the backwards bridge. She threw two, large stones that missed Azula by inches. Azula came shooting forward, fire blasting from her fists and out from under her feet.

Toph shot forward, the earth moving her faster with each step.

But Toph wasn't about to lose. Not to this stuck up, bratty girl who thinks everyone should be bowing down to her.

She slid to a halt and moved herself to the side. Azula was just passing her when Toph shot her hand out and the metal hairpiece in Azula's perfect bun, twisted into a knot. Toph turned and yanked her hand down, pulling on the metal.

Azula's back hit the dirt hard with a little plume of dust kicking up around her. The metal necklace pulled her back to her feet and Toph raised a foot. With a hard stomp, she sent a blunt spike into Azula's side.

"Two points to Toph. Her team goes first."

Zuko was amazed. He had such a gut feeling things were going to go badly, but this felt.... better. He felt like she was tough enough to stand his onslaught during combat. Maybe it was a good idea to make friends with her....

Katara and Sokka saw the awe in their friend's eyes and knew right away what it was.


	6. Trust Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Toph take on Azula.... but what's hiding behind the facades?

Toph was walking away from the fight when she was smothered by Katara and Suki, who were congratulating her on a victory. Toph's face flushed and she mumbled that she was just doing what she was told to do.

Zuko walked over and smiled at her. "Good job."

Toph's face went even more red and she looked down as Katara and Suki ran back into formation. She mumbled something else, but cleared her throat.

"Are you nervous?" Zuko asked, leaning forward. He was rewarded with a hard punch to his arm. "Ow! Hey!"

She was glaring at him. "I'm not that much of a baby!" She turned and her elbow made contact with his stomach. "I'm fine!"

Zuko rubbed his stomach and looked at her. Slowly, he stood up again. "Then let's get into formation. Aang is our captain, so, we need to protect him from danger. Katar is his Anchor, though, so, she's our last line of defense."

Toph nodded, but she was staring at Zuko's handsome face and her heart was thundering in her ears. She'd never seen anyone quite as handsome before. He had smooth skin and his eyes were like liquid gold and his hair was like a midnight raven. She wondered if she was pretty in his eyes....

And she realized that was the first time she wondered about someone's opinion of her appearance, which she didn't care too much about usually. She liked her rough and tomboy appearance, it made her feel powerful and normal.

Toph followed Zuko to his position. She stood behind him and stared at the back of his head for a moment before her eyes traveled down to his spine between his shoulder blades. Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt, between his shoulder blades. She pulled him back so he was leaning back towards her.

His eyes were wide and he stared at the sky. "Wha--?"

"Just move as if you're alone." Toph felt the earth beneath her feet. "Move and forget about me. I'll keep you safe from harm." She released him and she saw he remained leaning backwards. He slowly stood up and looked back at her. "I'm serious!" she whispered.

Zuko smiled a genuine smile of relief. "If you insist."

Kyoshi raised her hand once more. "Are both teams ready?!"

Aang and Azula answered.

"Ready?! Begin!"

Her hand descended and Toph took a deep breath. She jumped back from Zuko and brought her arms over her head. Her toes angled down and she vanished into the earth, pulling it shut smooth over her head.

Zuko closed his eyes, ignoring the fact that he couldn't see Toph. He was going to trust her, he kind of had to in this trust exercise in the middle of combat. He dodged a fireball from his sister and dove to the side. He turned and grounded his foot and sent a barrage of fire at her ill-fitting team as Sokka and Suki flanked to the opposite side.

They were quickly engaged in combat with Ty Lee and her current boyfriend.

Zuko was about to take another stab at an attack when he saw a huge shard of earth heading for him.

Without warning, he felt the ground swallow him. He was consumed by the darkness when he felt someone's warm and kind embrace take him. He was guided to a side and when he emerged, the shard of earth was ten feet away, and angled upwards, the opposite direction it had come at him.

Zuko understood now.

Toph was shadowing him from below. She was so in tune to the earth that she could sense his presence and his reactions. She was completely trusting him to see the world and he was supposed to be completely trusting her to keep him out of direct fire or danger.

She was doing exactly what this game was supposed to be about.

Full, unconditional trust.

Zuko smiled and gave a soft chuckle. "Now this game is fun." He ran forward and felt the soft tremor in his wake from Toph following him. He felt his recklessness take hold and he opened his palm and aimed for Azula's "boyfriend", who was her anchor.

The impact sent him flying back into Azula.

Without a hesitation in him, Zuko crouched down as Toph emerged under him. She was in a cage of earth, her head bowed, her arms over her head. She got into a stance and turned the boulder over her head that was holding the crouching Zuko. With a quick jab, she tossed it and jumped behind it, using rocks to shoot her upwards.

She unleashed a heavy hit and Zuko was able to pull the front of it so the spar end would come down on Azula and her anchor.

Before he could follow the boulder through, he felt the thin layer of dust on him pull him away as the boulder smashed into pieces, narrowly missing it's target. He threw his hands out as fists behind him as the dust separated from him and he shot flames to cushion his landing.

Toph was standing between him and them, facing him. He saw her pupils were fogged, as if someone had poured milk into her eyes. But she was standing firm, her body rigid, before she twisted, crouching, and vanished into the earth again.

Zuko stood up, looking at the spot she'd been standing a moment before. He gave a soft whistle before he spun away to dodge a barrage of fireballs from his sister. He'd never understood earthbenders all that well, but he understood that some people were just amazing, but he wasn't about to demonstrate that he knew that.

After all, his little secret would probably kill someone if he wasn't careful, kind of like Katara's secret gift she hid from everyone except her close friends.

Zuko seized the opportunity when Suki and Sokka had successfully disarmed Ty Lee and her boyfriend and Azula's rage about it. He turned and ran at his girlfriend.

Mai made a face at him and she grounded herself for an attack.

Zuko hoped that Toph understood his silent request.

And she did.

Toph suddenly shot out of the ground ahead of Zuko's current path. Her body was covered in a stone armor without any space for eye holes on the front. She spread her arms wide and grabbed Mai around the waist as Zuko surged after the anchor. He pulled in the heat around him and grabbed the anchor's wrist, searing the other boy's skin.

Toph was kicked off of Mai and she landed a few feet away, her hands digging into the dirt to slow her skid. She stood up and met Mai's eyes with a fury and a hatred that seemed to come from somewhere in the past.

Mai drew up her weapons and Toph grounded herself in her stance.

As Toph turned her hands slowly upwards, Zuko saw a bolt of lightning out of the corner of his eye and he knew that Azula had taken advantage of Toph's temporary anger at something. He turned away from the anchor, who was now pinned, and ran right at Toph.

He focused his energy through his body and into his feet. With another hard stomp, he ejected flames from his feet and basically soared right at Toph. He was trying to beat the lightning, but he knew he wouldn't make it and Toph didn't know how deadly that lightning could be.

He knew he had to use his little secret to get her out of trouble.

He landed, sliding to a halt, his eyes locked on Toph as Katara and Aang also moved to help if Zuko couldn't.

He raised his hands like claws in front of him and had them facing each other. He didn't like using this gift of his....


	7. Fighting Azula

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting a bit out of hand. So.... now what?

Zuko's open hands suddenly clenched and he could feel the flow of heat in her body. He could feel it shifting and moving with her heavy breathing.

With a pull at an angle, towards his right and down to the ground, he could feel the heat in her body shift.

Toph's body shifted and moved without her control.

First, her body moved to the side and then energy surged through her feet. She felt like there was someone's hands guiding the muscles in her body.

And then she lost control completely.

Her arms went down and her earthbending split the earth open and she fell into the pit as lightning shot over her head.

"Zuko!" she yelled, feeling the tension in his body from the vibrations in the earth.

Toph threw her arm up, but nothing happened. She couldn't move, no matter how hard she tried or what she did to pull her muscles. Fear was starting to set in.

Zuko had now turned his attention to his sister, now that Katara had control over Toph, to keep her down and away from danger. He was happy that he'd been able to move her out of danger, but now he was tensing up as his sister glared at him with such venom that he knew he'd suffer for it later, when they were heading home.

All of a sudden, he noticed Katara straining to hold Toph down when he realized Toph was moving, but not of Katara's bidding.

"No! Stay down!"

Toph crawled out of the hole he'd forced her to create and he saw something moving and crawling under her skin and along her arms. "No," Toph whispered.

Katara blinked and then looked up. She slowly lifted her bending away from Toph as she watched.

Everyone was still and Zuko felt the earth trembling and he turned to look at Azula. She was pulling energy from the world around her, moving in circular motions.

She was going for a big bolt of lightning and Zuko didn't know if he could redirect that one.

Toph suddenly appeared at his side, facing him. She turned away from him, looping her arm out and catching him around the waist. She threw him behind her as she turned again. She stomped her foot and Katara, Aang, and Sokka were thrown about ten feet in the air. She twisted her hands down and Zuko was amazed as a sand pit appeared behind him, just in time for the trio to land safely before Toph moved again.

She slammed her foot down and slid it to the side as she pulled her clawed hands out of the ground. She suddenly shot to the side and Azula's eyes followed her before Zuko heard Suki land in the sand pit, too.

"Wait!"

Toph ignored him. She could feel Azula's foot pointing towards Kyoshi, like she wanted to strike Kyoshi with the energy she was building.

Toph slid to a halt, her left hand digging into the earth to slow her faster. She put her right hand down so she looked like she was a flattened triangle. She was pulling as much metal as she could from the earth beneath her feet as fast as she could.

She felt Zuko running towards her and felt him shedding all the energy in his body. She turned her head to give him a quick look before she stood up, raising her right foot and her hands. As her forearms slammed together in front of her, she brought her foot down.

Huge metal boulders came shooting out of the ground as Azula shot the lightning out her open palm.

Toph pulled her arms down and to her sides before she flung her hands down to touch the stones around her. This pulled the boulders away from Azula, shooting lightning between them.

Zuko had understood Toph's look and kicked off the ground, running up from behind Toph. He threw his hands out to his sides, tucking his legs up to prevent more space for the lightning to jump back and forth around his body.

As he soared between two boulders, he felt the energy make all his hair stand up as he made a large circle with both arms. As he aimed for the ground, he saw a sand pit right in his path and he braced for impact.

As he landed, he angled the lightning down and he jumped as the sand became overheated and he hoped Katara would help him.

To which she did. She caught him and her bloodbending pulled him away from the glass.

Kyoshi suddenly made a huge, thick wall of stone between Zuko and his team and Azula and her team. Kyoshi's eyes were shinning in rage.

Toph slowly stood up, blinking.

Zuko watched as her eyes changed. The smoke in her pupils seemed to fade away, as if someone blew the smoke away. The color in her eyes looked more like a lime green now rather than the pale, almost white green from just a moment earlier.

"Azula Hon! That is NOT an approved power level! You should know better!" Kyoshi was yelling as Zuko rubbed his arms, flexing his hands.

He gave Toph a look over as he felt the numbness in his arms started to wear off. He hated not being able to absorb lightning like his uncle or mother could. It was hard for him not to feel like he was generations behind his sister in power. "You okay?"

Toph looked lost in her own world and Zuko reached out and touched her shoulder. She jumped a mile and he jumped back a few inches. "Apologies!" she said, giving him a quick glance. She looked down at her hands as she flexed her fingers. "You were.... kinda cool just now...."

Zuko chuckled. "Thanks. That's pretty cool bending you can do."

Toph's face darkened more than a few shades redder. She quickly turned her back on him. "It's not that cool. I just learned what I could from my mentors as a child."

Zuko actually laughed out loud this time. He punched her in the arm as he walked by. "You must've had some pretty intense teachers."

Kyoshi walked up next to Toph. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Just need to get used to all this stuff."

Kyoshi touched Toph's arm. "I guess we should have told you, Azula knows how to get under people's skin, in more ways than one. Don't let her annoy you, Bei Fong. You're a lot tougher than she is."

Toph made a huff and blew some of her stray bangs out of her face. "Yeah, I can tell." She looked up at Kyoshi. "Well, I think I'm going to go change and get ready for next class."

Kyoshi nodded. "I think so, too. The other students had a hard time dodging all the stray attacks from you guys." She smiled. "Go on."

Toph turned and walked away, ignoring the rest of her teammates yelling for her to come back so they could talk about it. She pulled the anklet off and threw it into the bin as she walked back to the locker room, still shaking from having to fend off Azula.

Once she was safely alone, Toph marched into the shower and turned on the warm water. As it soaked her cloths and pooled around her feet in the shoes, she backed into the wall, hard. She slid down and sat there, head bowed, arms hanging limply at her sides, trying to calm herself.

All the adrenaline was something she wasn't used to. Her old school prevented her from getting into fights. Fighting was strictly prohibited, and her mother and father deemed that inexcusable as to why she should let her bending go dull.

So, they had paid three, highly proficient earthbenders. Each had kept her going with sparring matches and new techniques, but never under stressful situations.

The sudden adrenaline of having to basically fight with her bending had made her unaware of the dangers of metalbending, particularly since she could, with enough focus, move the iron naturally found in a human body. She hadn't ever done it before, out of fear. But having used it on herself like that was frightening.

But the way her team had rescued her was unnerving her the most.

Nobody had cared about her much, unless they needed a strong fighter. Maybe that was all they cared about....

She heard a commotion and realized people were coming back to shower before they went off to their next classes. She wasn't about to be caught in the locker room again, not with Azula around at least.


	8. Questions and Rhythm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toph and Zuko share a moment.... only to have her recruited to the band?!

Toph sighed and let her mechanical pencil fall from her grip and roll across her notebook as the last bell rang for the day. She looked at the math problems.

She sighed and shut the notebook on her pencil. She looked over the desk beside her and watched a flock of birds fly to the west.

She let the world around her move as students chattered and collected their things and talk about things to do after class. Some of the students were starting to yell for others in the hallway to wait or to say bye.

Toph was about to get up when she noticed Zuko a few desks behind her. He was laying across his desk and watching the birds outside. He looked lost in his own world.

Toph looked around and realized they were alone. She scooted off her chair and smoothed her skirt out, walking over to him. Slowly, she reached out a hand. She flinched and pulled her hand back a fraction before she took a deep breath.

Her hand gently touched his head and she gradually put more pressure when he suddenly lifted his head.

Zuko's eyes looked at her without even the slightest hint of emotion. He stared at her, waiting.

Toph rubbed her arm and looked nervously away. "Apologies, I didn't mean to disturb you." She couldn't understand why, but she felt like when his eyes were on her, she was nothing but an odd ball or something to oggle at.

Zuko didn't move, he just stared up at her.

Toph, deciding to take the lead in the situation, turned to walk away. Her left hand used his desk to steady herself as she turned. "I'll just go. I didn't mean to interrupt your leisure time."

As her hand slowly lifted away from the desk, she heard movement and decided to move faster.

A strong, yet gentle grip stopped her as a chair clattered to the floor.

Toph didn't turn around, she couldn't look at him again. After an awkward pause, she pulled her arm without much meaning behind it. Zuko's hand didn't release her.

"What?" she whispered.

Zuko slowly let her go. "Never mind. I don't know the words to ask you." He picked up his things.

Toph grinded her teeth and whipped around. She brought her hands from over her head to slam down on his desk, sending his pencil case clattering to the floor. She got right up to him, scaring him as she inhaled.

"If you don't have anything to say, don't bother being so rude!"

"You're the one who grabbed my head!"

"I was going to ask YOU something, you colossal idiot!" Toph turned, shoving the desk which slid a few inches to the side. "God, why do you have to be such a weirdo!"

Zuko threw his notebook back down. "Then ask me!"

Toph turned on her heel to glare at him as she picked up her bag. She flung it over her shoulder and put a fist on her other hip. "Why? Apparently I'm to hard to talk to." She looked sorrowful as she said that, but she was already turning to leave.

Zuko watched her as his face fell. He didn't know how to ask her, but he knew that he wanted to know it about her....

Still....

He was afraid that if Mai found out, he'd have to deal with an angry girlfriend.

Toph was standing just outside, watching the crowds of students as they hustled around and she felt lonely. Quickly, she pulled her headphones over her ears. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and matched the wireless headphones to it before she started playing a tune.

As she walked, she drummed her hand along the wall. She'd been secretly taking drum lessons behind her parents' back. It was her only escape to a place she could just be and not have to be a Bei Fong.

As she walked, she ignored everyone else, walking right behind Suki and Sokka. Her thumping started to take into her stride and she was soon strumming a beat with her hands and feet.

Sokka and Suki watched her when Suki's face lit up. "Oh! She's perfect! We could use her."

Sokka made a face at Suki. "And what makes you think she'll come willingly?"

"We can always bribe her.... I mean...." Suki turned, crossing her arms as she smirked at Zuko, who had just emerged from his classroom. "She does have a crush on someone...."

Zuko stopped, staring at them. "What?"

Sokka closed his eyes, making a face again, and pointed at Toph.

She had paused at her locker for her shoes and was nodding and humming, drumming out a beat as she moved to lace up her shoes. She was completely ignored by everyone, and seemed to prefer to ignore everyone else.

Zuko sighed and buried his face in one hand. "No. I don't think I could take that. She's stubborn."

"Like her element," Aang said, thumping Zuko on the back. "As I recall, you tend to have quite the temper when you get angry." Aang smiled and patted Zuko's upper arm. He laughed as he spoke up again. "Besides, we've got a girly girl," he gestured to Katara, "and a girly tomboy," he gestured to Suki, "and she'd be the perfect full-on tomboy. The band could really use her."

Sokka was about to protest when they all noticed Toph looking right at them. "H-hey!" he said, waving at her. "You busy this weekend?!"

Toph wrinkled her nose and got up. She stomped her boot down before she threw her shoes into the locker. She turned and marched away, down the front steps.

"Guess that means she's coming," Suki said with a smile, watching Toph's back. When they all looked at her she smiled brightly, grabbing Sokka's wrist. "She's not that hard to read if you pay attention to more than her actions." She pulled him away. "Sokka and I need to practice for the tournament in two weeks. Later!"


	9. Tomboy's Etiquette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toph shows her proper etiquette.

Toph was walking into class when she spotted Suki and Katara giggling and whispering to each other, their foreheads so close. She walked right by them, listening to the drum solo she'd performed last night, listening for her flaws.

She didn't understand why she had to take girl's etiquette when she'd already been trained at home and from a young age. Still, she had to take it so she could achieve the credits to graduate.

She threw her bag down and slumped into her chair. She pulled her phone out and started flipping through her apps, trying to find something to amuse herself for another five minutes.

She heard the snare on the drum's ledge and she closed her eyes. She had hit her wrist by mistake when she'd done a quick cross. Still, she heard the rest of it was fine.

All of a sudden, someone pulled her headphones off and someone took her phone away. She looked up and saw Suki and Katara smiling down at her. "What?" she asked bitterly.

"So, do you play any instruments?"

Toph glared at them. "Why? You guys have a fan club or something?" She crossed her arms, knowing full well she shouldn't argue with them, since most of the girls were watching Suki and Katara.

"We're in a band," Suki explained. "Katara and I play instruments. I play a bass guitar and Katara plays the electric and classic piano. Aang plays the guitar, too, mostly an acoustic guitar. Zuko plays a mean electric guitar."

Toph shrugged. "Whatever." She kicked her chair back and stood up. She was tall now that she stood near the two other girls. She was half an inch taller than Katara, who seemed to have been tall, but now that she was nearly nose-to-nose with the other girl, her obvious height made Suki blink and take a step back.

"Whoa, you're taller than I thought you looked from a distance."

Toph snatched her phone from Suki and reached for her headphones. "I don't care about your stupid band. I don't care about your stupid friendships. I don't need your stupid fan club or anything like that." She ripped the headphones from Katara's hands. "I have a problem with being recruited for things I don't like."

Suki gave her the brightest smile. "I know. But you're not exactly yelling at us, are you?"

Toph slammed her phone and headphones down. She turned and grabbed the two girls' shirt fronts and brought them close to her face. The unkempt rage in her eyes made them both flinch. "I don't have time to play your stupid little back up or plan b person. If you want to waste your time, good luck."

"Great!" Suki whispered. "We'll see you in the auditorium in the old school building on the West." She gently pulled her shirt free of Toph's grip and tugged Katara away. "Later! Class is starting soon."

Katara sat down next to Suki. "You really think she'll come?"

Suki smiled at Katara. She propped her elbow on her desk and rested her chin in the palm of her hand, leaning over to watch Toph. "Yeah. I think she just has no idea what friendship really is like, Katara. She may not have the best attitude, but, with time, I think she'll amp the band pretty good."

Katara sighed and looked at Toph as well. "She seems really against it."

Suki leaned close to Katara so she could whisper. "Yeah, but tomboy or not, she seems really happy to be included. She didn't exactly deny us or tell us in a loud voice that she was actually angry with us, did she?"

Katara blinked. Her face turned quickly and she met Suki's gaze. "True. I guess that's what happens when you've got a tomboy's mentality."

Suki smiled, her lightly glossed lips parting to give Katara her scheming smirk. "I do know my way around a human." She gave Katara a poke before she turned to the front of the class and the teacher, Hama, walked in.

Toph looked up and saw Hama and looked back down. She was writing something in a heavily stickered book that was propped on her lap and the edge of the desk. Her dark red pen was scratching away as her music lightly played from the headphones.

Katara swallowed hard as she saw Toph ignore Hama. She knew that Hama would probably get angry if Toph ignored her for too long....

Sure enough....

"Bei Fong!"

Toph glared over the top of her notebook. "Yes?" she mumbled.

"Come here. Let me see your posture."

Toph slid her headphones off and snapped her notebook shut.

With all the grace of a swan taking flight from water, Toph rose to her feet. She stood tall and expressionless. Her shoulders slowly rolled back and her back arched properly as her chin became level with the ground. With a graceful sidestep that would've made a ballerina cry, she swept to the front of the class. Her arms hung loose at her side, her steps never let her shoulders bob up and down and her steps were unheard.

She came to the front and turned with all the grace of a peacock with flare and eased herself onto the chair Hama had presented.

She swept her hands behind her and swept her skirt forward. She didn't lean forward, but more crouched down. She sat back in the chair, raising her chin with that stoic look once more. She eased her ankles together and set her hands lightly on her lap. Her fingers relaxed on her eyes fixed on a point at the back of the classroom.

Hama was mildly impressed. "What's the first rule of posture and etiquette?"

Toph opened her mouth. The voice that came forth shocked everyone.

Her usually gruff voice was penetrated and shattered.

"A lady must not be rough. A lady is gentle and graceful. A lady's posture and attitude should be such that even nature would cry." She blinked slowly before she continued. "A lady must exude the grace of a swan, the innocence of fresh snow, and the beauty of a peacock. A lady is much more civilized than a woman and must uphold her family's honor with grace and poise."

Hama clapped her hands once. "Good. Now, return to your seat. No more distractions during class, Bei Fong, or I will confiscate your phone."

Toph rose gracefully and made her way back to her seat, passing the girls who stared at her with awe and a fear that was well earned.

Except Azula.

Katara tried to restrain her laughter at the look on Azula's face. She was clearly beyond pissed that Toph could command such a presence from a group of females with a simple walk to the front of the class.

As soon as the bell rang, Toph, who hadn't taken a single note in class, but had sat looking at her desk top all through the lesson, stood up.

She walked outside, throwing her bag over her shoulder and walked down the hall to her typical classroom. She passed the boys, who were also leaving their etiquette classes.

With quick thinking, she dodged Zuko and Sokka.

Sokka had his arm around Zuko's neck and the duo were laughing about something on Sokka's phone when they both saw her.

She had slid and turned, her body narrowly missing Sokka before she hit the wall opposite to them. She had her hand out, so, she didn't hit it too hard. Still, her eyes flashed up at the two boys.

Zuko, who was staring at Toph, noticed that she wasn't mad about the near impact. He also suddenly took notice that her eyes were lime green, but there was a dark green, almost blue ring, around her pupils. She had a few scars from pimples along her left jawbone, which suggested she might be left handed.

He blinked as she just stood there, staring at him.

She had just noticed he had a scar just under his hair. It looked like a surgery scar. She then noticed Mai walking over out of the corner of her eye. She proceeded to change expression to a stone wall again and pointed. "Your fan club is coming. I'd rather not stick around for that."

And she was gone.

Sokka saw Zuko turn and smile brightly at Mai. "Hey, hun."

Sokka gagged and put his phone away. He interlaced his fingers behind his head. "Your taste in girls is pathetic." He followed Aang as the two left Zuko to his girlfriend.

They spotted Toph, who was behind a group of girls who were from the earth faction of the school. She was completely ignored and Sokka had an idea.

He ran over and snatched her headphones away, running passed her. "Hey, new girl!" he yelled as he ran. He wanted to see if anyone would notice her, since everyone was ignoring her. He was agile and fast, and everyone knew that after the last attack launched on the school.


	10. Law of Engagement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko discovers that Toph may be holding back.... but why the devil does she need headphones?! And why is she so attached to them? Also.... what is the law of engagement?

Toph was staring up at him, her eyes wide, as Sokka basically vaulted over her with all the grace of an athlete. Their eyes locked and Sokka saw the fear in her eyes as his hardened expression just watched her.

He landed, facing her and held the headphones up. "Neat! Cool toy!" And he turned and started running down the hallway.

Toph was about to chase him when she remembered how she'd been reprimanded at her old school for causing a commotion in the hallways that lead into the library. But she noticed something odd.

The students seemed to part when they had seen Sokka take her thing, as if they were asking her if she was going after him.

Sokka was standing at the far end of the hallway and held her headphones up, a smug smile across his face. "You can't catch me, little girl."

Toph's rage boiled up again. She threw her bag aside, not paying attention to where it landed and kicked her shoes off. She stood there for a moment before she crouched low, lowering her hands to the ground. Slowly, her fingers descended as if she were a track runner as her eyes grew wide with concentration.

As if she were triggered by an invisible starting pistol, she took off, running as fast and hard as she could. Sokka was already gone.

Zuko and Aang, who'd caught Toph's bag, watched before Katara spoke up.

"Um, did anyone tell her the rules of engagement?"

There was a silence and Katara sighed, looking down the hallway. As she vanished around the corner.

Zuko had a flashback of the last time an attack had been launched on the school. Sokka's normally happy and carefree and jester demeanor vanished when he was called to the front lines alongside the teachers.

His eyes had grown cold and full of war. He had looked frighteningly powerful. Sokka's training with Piandao had certainly paid off, as he was fast and wound up without a scratch on him at the end of the battle. It had claimed only about fifteen students to severe injuries, but Sokka, Zuko, and Katara had come out completely unscratched.

Nobody knew how he had managed that, but Zuko had seen Sokka's first assault. It had been a blood bath when Sokka had met with resistance and his agility had made Sokka nearly impossible to hit and the benders had been unable to pin him down. He hadn't hesitated with taking down the enemy.

Zuko sighed and was about to walk over to Aang when he saw Sokka falling passed the window, angling for a tree. He watched as Sokka slid into the tree with ease before he basically got spit out the other end. Toph came rocketing down, smashing through the tree, sending leaves and broken branches everywhere. She tucked herself in tight and rolled onto the ground.

Without breaking stride, Sokka was already off, jumping over groups of students or dodging around large groups of students. Toph had rolled onto her feet and was running after him again, the ground seeming to shove her forward faster and faster with each step.

Zuko whistled. "I wonder why Piandao didn't make her an Elite on the first day," he asked, watching as she kept running, but the stones under her feet slid her to the side and around students, all the while, she kept running like a mad man on a witch hunt for his next prey.

"Because she requested not to be singled out." Piandao and Pakku were standing by the window, watching the progress of the chase around the huge courtyard. "She can match Kyoshi in sheer destruction, but she's very lost in terms of trying to control the power."

"You know she can metalbend, right?" Zuko asked, pointing to the courtyard.

"Yeah," Pakku said, making a face. "She's proficient in bending platinum, as well, which is extremely difficult."

Suki grabbed Zuko's arm. "Wha~at?!" she yelled, staring at the teachers. "Not even Kyoshi is able to do more than dent it! You're telling us she can actually bend it?!"

Pakku nodded. Piandao smiled at them. "She was impressive. We attempted to box her in, as is customary of metalbenders, with platinum walls, the purest of minerals. She was able to mold all the walls into balls of rubble, all but the one we were standing behind." The duo looked with the expression of veterans as Toph threw Sokka in the air, attempting to pin him with two large, blunt spikes.

"What...." Zuko looked at Pakku this time. "What did she do?"

"She tore it apart, into pieces, ripping it with her bending like it was nothing more than rice paper." Pakku's eyes were cruel when he met Zuko's, with the expression of a veteran who was having trouble retelling his greatest achievements in war.

Zuko understood then. He looked down as he remembered his entrance exams. After all, not every student could get in on sheer academics alone. They needed to be able to perform to the standars expected to defend and protect the city of orphans, as it was nicknamed.

He had barely scraped by with the academics test.

When he was called to the abandoned village to demonstrate his abilities, he had met only Piandao, who was sitting on an old well's ledge in the middle of the village, sipping some water out of a water bottle with the school's emblem on it.

"Welcome, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. Do you know what you're looking for here?"

Zuko shook his head, swallowing hard, gripping tightly to his tee shirt. Despite being only fifteen and from a prominent firebending family, Zuko hadn't shown much promise, despite his constant training alone and honing skills he knew wouldn't be useful.

Still, he was eager to prove his worth and become a student at this prestigious school to prove his worth as a crown prince, and as a firebender.

"You're looking for Master Jeong-Jeong." Piandao raised his hand and gestured around him. "You're allowed to level the town if you must."

Zuko blinked and heard the shift of stone and ducked under it as Piandao continued to drink his water. He pulled out a stack of homework and started reading the top page.

Zuko didn't wait, he dodge several more boulders from the earthbender he couldn't see. With a quick thinking motion, he melted the metal stones coming at him with intense flames, trying his best not to flinch when the molten metal hit his arm, burning through his cloths.

He pulled the fire off his shirt, ceasing it's destruction, and created a huge fire with five, long tendrils that he brought down in several different directions. He heard movement and went after it, only to be met with a wall of ice spikes. He pulled in the heat and created a bubble of fire as he cross his arms over his head, breathing hard.

He took off, away from the waterbender. He started running when he felt something catch his foot and he almost fell. He threw his hands in front of him and the fire cushioned his descent, but he kicked and, almost like a football player performing a bicycle kick, he brought his feet up and his body spun back so his feet landed and he had his hands at his sides. He looked over his shoulder, a fire building in his eyes.

This was exciting.

It was then that he could feel the heat around him. He closed his eyes, breathing in the heat as easily as if he were breathing in the scent of fresh food, pulling it into his body. He could feel his body on fire and could tell, by the way he breathed out, that it was nearly freezing in the immediate vicinity.

His breath spiraled and puffed out of his mouth as he searched for heat from bodies around him, looking for a firebender's unique heat that other benders and regular people couldn't emit.

And he saw him.

Jeong-Jeong was standing in the well behind Piandao, which was only about eight feet deep. He was idly yawning.

Zuko turned and launched himself into the air, using the heat to make his fire more concentrated and more intense. Once he'd reach the peak he wanted, his eyes searched and he spotted the well, Piandao still perched there.

Piandao's eyes were still scanning papers and he set his bottle down to mark something on the page. In the well, Jeong-Jeong was lifting his wrist to check the time.

Zuko, with as much fire as he could muster, shot right for Piandao, deciding that where he was sitting was the best place to break the well.

He saw Piandao simply stand, store his papers away in his breifcase. He snatched his bottle up and turned away, jumping aside as Zuko smashed, head-first, into the well, breaking the heavy stones and melting away the metal scaffolding holding up the well's bucket.

Zuko had landed in the well and went to grab Jeong-Jeong when the firebender shot out of the well and vanished into a haze of a blizzard.

Zuko was still coated in his overheated shell, so, he shot up, braving the blizzard. The snow was evaporating when it hit him, not even turning to water or mist. He didn't shield his face, as he knew he didn't need to, and searched again.

However, he quickly realized the blizzard wasn't from the masters, as they were fighting it back, so, Zuko being the quick thinker he was, ran at them.

He felt Pakku's nautrally cold heat wave and did what he'd taught himself to do. He took control of Pakku's body.

He twisted the heat in Pakku's body to his whim, his fists guiding the waterbender. He made Pakku create a wall of ice before releasing the master.

He then proceeded to take hold of Jeong-Jeong. He clenched his fists and pulled them towards his core and up to his chest. He opened his mouth and hissed out steam as Jeong-Jeong's body suddenly became a beacon of heat, creating a bubble to cover all the masters.

Zuko then proceeded to work on his own, running around them, still holding the heat in his body. He was carving a path in the snow so it wouldn't pile up around them. He finally jumped into the circle as the heat finally faded and he was starting to feel the cold. He was heaving great breaths as he tried to focus on pulling the cold out of him to return his core's heat.

He felt Jeong-Jeong's hands on his back and warmth began to radiate into his body as Zuko's breathing slowed and he was able to stand again. They were all smiling at him when Zuko realized Jeong-Jeong had hold of his body.

The heat in his body made his muscles flex and he could feel Jeong-Jeong guiding his muscles by moving the heat inside to make him move and create a bubble of fire alongside the master firebender.

After a few moments, the blizzard seemed to be letting up and Pakku created a huge ice dome in place of the fire bubble and the two masters stood firm, waiting.

As soon as a crack had formed in the ice, Pakku had turned and struck Zuko in the stomach, hard enough to lift the young teen off the ground. It had knocked all the air out of Zuko and he watched as there were explosions of light in his vision before he felt his knees and elbows hit the ground and he collapsed into a coughing fit before the world grew dark and hazy.

Zuko had recalled waking in the infirmery to Hama finishing a check up. He was amazed when Pakku had told him he'd passed and had two weeks before the opening ceremony. He told him that he'd need to bring up his grades to stay, but he had three years to do that and Pakku had confidence that Zuko could pull it off.

After all, Lu Ten had been in the same situation and became an Elite on day two.

But Zuko had also been amazed when he'd received his uniform a week later and he had the badge of an Elite Bender to pin to his cloths.

Still, watching Toph right now, Zuko felt the surge of wonder at watching more powerful benders, but something seemed to scream more finesse than Toph was currently using.

Zuko heard Piandao speak now. "She has such precision and accuracy, it's amazing she's letting Sokka get the upper hand. I wonder if she's afraid to use her bending." He suddenly turned and looked at Zuko and Katara. "Didn't you tell her the laws of engagement here?"

"Uh...." Katara gave a weak smile. "N-no."

Piandao was about to protest when Bumi appeared.

He yanked the window open and took a deep breath.

"YOU'RE ALLOWED TO HAVE AT IT! JUST DON'T DRAW BLOOD!" He paused to think. "And no destroying buildings!" he quickly added.

Toph seemed to have heard them because she turned, her bare foot grinding into the soft soil under her feet. She formed a spike with her left hand and brought it up, over her head as her right hand formed a claw and went down and to the back.

The sudden stop of her motion caused a tremor.

For a moment, nothing happened and then Sokka jumped as a spike of pure crystal shot out of the ground, narrowly missing the sole of his shoe. He dangled from a tree and was about to yell at her when she twisted.

She stomped her foot as she turned. She brought her arms up, her fingers relaxed, and then she made a quick shove of her elbows. She brought her hands down, her wrists together, so fast that she lurched forward a tiny bit.

The tree was turned upside down and Sokka was hanging from the tree about ten feet off the ground.

She twisted and her back foot made a graceful arch around her other foot. She pulled her right arm so it was parallel to her face as her left arm whipped around and her fist connected with her right elbow.

A boulder came up and was heading right for the tree, which was still hovering in place.

Sokka swung off and jumped off the boulder. He reached for the window ledge in front of Zuko and yanked himself inside.

Toph huffed, blowing her wild bangs out of her eyes as she turned and stared up at Sokka. She slowly lowered her arms and brought her legs together as she stood up, her eyes still locked on Sokka.

Bumi laughed hysterically. "Now that was impressive!" he yelled as many of the earthbending students clapped and cheered for Toph.

Zuko turned to look down again and his eyes met her intense glare. He could tell she was staring at him with an intensity that was not from the fight. She must have been watching him since he and Sokka were good friends.

She sudden pointed right at Sokka and Zuko. "If I don't get my headphones back by the end of the day, the deals off!"

Suki made a fist bump at Katara, who blinked and then her jaw dropped. "Told you!"

Zuko turned back to Toph. "What deal?"

Toph's eyes suddenly gleamed like gems in firelight. "You need a drummer. If I don't get my headphones back before the end of the day with an apology, the f--!"

The bell rang out and Toph's words were drowned out.

She stomped her foot and soared, gracefully, through the window. She extended her feet and slid to a halt in front of Sokka. She stood and held out her hand.

Sokka held it over his head. "You'll have to take them back if you want them."

Toph's open hand formed a fist. She turned and her foot made contact with Sokka's stomach, but he still didn't let go of the headphones as he doubled over, coughing. "Fine." She stomped her foot and her bag flew over as she raised one arm. When she brought it down, her bag had landed perfectly across her body and she was pointing at Aang and Sokka, who were directly in front of her. "You want a drummer, you have until the last bell!" And she turned away.

She stomped into her school shoes as she marched passed Zuko and Mai. She stopped in front of Suki and raised her arm.

She basically cloths-lined Suki before she punched Katara hard in the shoulder. "Your boyfriend and brother is so dumb! I have no problems crushing any of you. Give it back or I swear you'll regret that decision!"

And she was off as Suki stood up, rubbing her neck.

"Did she actually agree to be in the band?" Sokka asked, wheezing.

"Yeah...." Suki suddenly turned on Sokka. "Until you decided to take her headphones! She must have a reason to need them! None of the teachers said anything about her headphones! She wears them in class!"

"Yeah, Sokka!" Aang yelled, throwing his arms up. "Did you ever think to ask why she needs them?!"

Zuko walked right passed them. He didn't care. He needed to get to chemistry class, or Pakku would kill him in the exams.

His head was buzzing with how suddenly accurate Toph was. He'd seen accurate earthbenders, but that was something else. He was also wondering who had taught her to rip through platinum like it was butter and she was a hot knife....

They must've been formidable benders to be able to destroy the most pure metal in existence, right?


	11. The Gaang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing, the Blind Bandit, the newest member of the Gaang

Toph was getting up from her last class, the bell had rung loudly over the grounds. She wasn't going to wait.

She had no business waiting for Zuko, who was in the same literature class as her. She didn't really want to wait.

She had such a hard time focusing in class and she was trying very hard not to let anyone see her shaking hands or the tears in her eyes. She was a bit too proud to say she was crying or that she was frustrated at herself.

Toph was just out the door when a hand, gentle but powerful, grabbed her wrist and she knew right away it was Zuko. "Screw your stupid band!" she yelled as she turned to glare at him.

He was smiling at her. "I know. I convinced Sokka to return your headphones." He raised his hand to show her. "It's why I was late for Ancient Literature."

Toph glared at him. "That doesn't change anything!"

"I don't want it to. I just wanted you to have them back."

Toph snatched them away and watched Zuko carefully. She looked down at them after an awkward pause. She stared at her trembling hands as students in the hallways ran back and forth. Making up her mind, Toph yanked him into the classroom and slammed the door behind him, turning to stare at him.

"Uh...."

She pointed a finger right at his nose. "You tell a SOUL what I'm about to tell you and I swear that you won't be a guy much longer."

He nodded and stood quietly, his bag dangling from his free hand.

Toph sighed and covered her face with one hand. "I have a hearing problem...." She looked up at him. "Since I was a baby, earthbending has made me blind. My parents think it's because when I was a baby and I did some earthbending to rock my own crib, someone poisoned me and so, it always affected my bending sight." She looked at her hand now that it was not on her face.

Zuko waited patiently.

"And then I started hearing things. I could hear people whispering in another room. I could hear heartbeats of people near me. I could suddenly hear everything, even breathing and quiet footsteps of people sneaking around." Toph clenched a fist. "And one night, I couldn't even sleep because of a thunderstorm."

Zuko understood why she needed them now.

They weren't to play music in class, they were to stifle her hearing so she couldn't hear everything around her to distract her.

"Toph...."

She turned her head and lifted her hair away from it, pulling her collar down so he could see it, burned across her neck.

It looked like a firebender had grabbed her from behind and tried to choke her while his hands were spitting fire.

"The servant who was supposed to be guarding me decided to try to silence me. He set his hands on fire and tried to stop me from screaming everytime lightning went off." Her eyes became harsh. "I don't trust firebenders after trying to trust him so much as a child. It's nothing against masters of the craft, it's just that I don't know the temperament of firebenders." Her hands fell and she stared at Zuko with a stoic expression. "You guys do have a reputation of being unpredictable and have a wild rage about you."

Zuko's eyes locked with hers and he completely understood her attitude towards him now. "So, what you were going to ask me the other day...."

Toph sighed, closing her eyes as she raised her hand back to her face, covering it. "Yes. I wanted to ask if you have the same temperament as Azula. She reminds me too much of the servant my father had executed."

Zuko blinked. "Wait, are you nobility?"

"Uh...." Toph covered her mouth. She had said too much and she knew it now. She had promised that she wouldn't speak of her father anymore, especially not after he sent her and her step brother and father away so she wouldn't endanger her baby sisters. "Well.... not any more."

Zuko blinked again, confused. "Wait, why not?!"

"It's complicated, okay?!"

And she was gone, out the door and into the mass of students.

"ZUKO!" Sokka came running over and Zuko's shoulders sagged. "Zuko, did you give them back to her? Is she coming?" Sokka stared at Zuko for a pause. "What's wrong with you? Why do you look like someone rejected you?"

\---

Toph was alone in the music room she had found to be empty, even though someone called "The Gaang" was supposed to be practicing.

She was sure people couldn't spell at the sight of the hand written note on the dry erase board outside the room. Still, she appreciated the quiet.

She noticed a drum set sitting in the corner.

Itching to try her drum solo again, Toph slid onto the stool, letting her bag fall behind her. She stared at the clearly used drum set. She stomped her foot and drummed her fingers across each of them, tuning them.

When she was sure she couldn't hear anyone outside, she picked up the drum sticks, her headphones hanging around her neck. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and pictured herself standing in an open field.

As she hit the snare to get her rhythm going, Toph was soon drumming so fast and hard, that she could picture herself running hard and jumping with grace as, in her mind, she danced through a field of towering pillars of crystal that seemed to resound her music. She could feel the thump of her heart timing to the thump of the bass drums she kept striking.

And then she hit the last beat and threw her hands out to stop the ringing brass around her.

As the ringing drums faded from her ears, she heard heartbeats by the door and her head shot up and she met the stunned faces of Aang, Katara, Suki, Sokka, and Zuko.

Zuko whistled. "Now that's a drum solo." He gave her a grin. "I told them I wasn't sure if you'd still uphold your end of the bargain."

Toph sighed, sitting up in her stool again. "So?"

Katara ran over and flung her arms around Toph. "It's so great to have another girl in the group for a change! You're so cool sounding!"

"So, how'd you know we were in this room?" Aang asked, setting his bag down by the door, beside Katara's forgotten one.

"I just wanted some peace." Toph made a face. "This isn't some kind of K-Pop band, is it? We're not singing kiddy songs like Barney, are we?"

"No." Zuko was tuning his guitar as he spoke, standing near her. "But everyone takes turns singing. There's no one star in our group." He smiled at her as he rolled his sleeves up. "Besides, we like to write music together and we always try to play to the strength of our drummer."

Toph threw him a glance before she looked at the drums again. "So...." She sighed and suddenly reached out.

With only five rattles on the drum to her right, Zuko was striking a few chords and they began to harmonize when Katara cut in with a very synthesized sound off her keyboard. The trio were soon in fully harmony that when Toph added in the bass drum, they sounded like they'd been playing for years and Aang's eyes glittered with joy.

"We may actually win the competition this year," Aang said with a tear in his eye.

Toph skidded to a halt. "Wait, what?!"

Aang gave her a quick smile. "Yeah. There's a competition where artists of all kinds go to compete and two are chosen to represent the school at an international competition. We've tried two years in a row and were barely cut out by Azula's group. She keeps cheating."

Toph looked at Aang. "On one condition...."

"You'll join us?!" Aang yelled, clasping his hands together like he was praying.

"On one condition!" Toph yelled, slamming her hands and the drum sticks on the drum set as she stood up. "I don't decide on the music! I'm not good at taking the lead."

Aang nodded. "O-okay! Anything else?"

Toph sat back down. "Don't expect me to trust you all right away." She knew that Zuko was the only one who understood why and was ready to argue with them if they asked.

Aang and Katara stepped right in front of her. "Of course! We all started off as strangers, so, it's only fair."

Katara held out her hand. "Welcome aboard!"

Toph glared at her. "Don't you guys have, oh, I don't know, stage names or something?" She waited patiently for them.

Zuko smiled and put his hand on the neck of his guitar. "Yeah. But I'm not sure what to call you, Bei Fong." He pointed to himself with his other hand he pressed a thumb against his chest. "I'm the Blue Spirit."

Toph raised an eyebrow when Katara and Suki put an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm the Painted Lady," Katara said with a smile.

"I'm the Lady Warrior," Suki said, resting her chin on Toph's shoulder.

Toph was thinking, her right arm across her body and her left elbow propped in her palm as well as her her hand touching her chin.

Aang and Sokka smiled at Zuko, who was giving them a reassuring glance. Aang bound forward. "I'm the Airhead." He seemed proud of that name.

Toph gave him a look like he was dumb before she looked at Sokka. "What do they call you? The Dumbell?"

Zuko and Aang tried to hide their laughing faces as they stifled their laughter.

"No...." Sokka looked offended. "I am the Sarcastic Sword." He smirked.

Zuko coughed and looked down at Toph, still perched on her stool and back to her thoughtful face. "So, what should we call you?" he asked.

She seemed to decide and she looked up hopefully at Zuko. "The Blind Bandit."


End file.
